Blizzard Warns: Beware of Keyloggers

Blizzard is warning World of Warcraft (WoW) users to beware of keyloggers. In a post to the WoW forums, Blizzard rep 'Nethaera' warns:

"We would like to remind everyone to please be careful about the links they choose to visit. There have been many suspect links appearing on the forums as of late and we'd like to caution everyone to be wary of them. The latest keylogger that has been appearing with some frequency ends with the following file name: NewBNUpdate2.rar."

Wow is one of the most (if not the most) successful online games of all time; in November 2006 game developers Blizzard reported 7.5 million users worldwide. In mid-January 2007, Blizzard is expected to release a new expansion pack for the game, titled The Burning Crusade. Attackers are exploiting user excitement over the forthcoming release; links to supposed information and game hacks for the new battleground are actually trojans that may incorporate keyloggers and backdoors.

Once seated on the system, the trojans attempt to steal user login information for the popular game. Attackers then use the credentials to steal in-game items and auction them for real world dollars on eBay and other auction sites. Such game trojans are increasingly common; in-game merchandise dealing is so lucrative it's rumored that the IRS may one day eye taxing virtual assets. To protect yourself, avoid clicking on links, opening files, or installing software from unknown or untrusted sources.